Healthy garden soil is an important part of a successful garden. With it plants may struggle to survive. Sandy soils are often dry and lacking in nutrients while clay soils can become compacted and remain too wet. An ideal garden soil is full of organic matter and teeming with earthworms and micro-organisms, both of which make the soil fertile.
Archive for the ‘maintenance’ Category
Improving Your Garden Soil
On December - 20 - 2009
Pruning Floribunda Roses: The Basics
On December - 20 - 2009
Pruning Floribunda roses is similar to pruning tea roses or grandiflora roses. Keeping them flush with blooms every season require a bit of maintenance, particularly pruning. Here are the basics.
1. Floibunda roses most profusely on new growth so yearly pruning is beneficial. Prune in late fall or spring (spring is better in colder climates)
Winter Gardening Tips
On December - 16 - 2009
By the time the first snow falls, most gardeners, having finished the fall clean up and planted their spring bulbs, are content to wait until spring to work in the garden again. If, however, you have no problem working in the snow or freezing temperatures you don’t need to put all those tools away just yet. Winter can be a busy time for gardeners so here is a gardening guide to help you get through winter.
A Quick Guide To Dividing Perennials
On December - 16 - 2009
Perennials which have become too large for their spot in the garden benefit from division during the fall. By dividing overgrown perennials allowing for increased air flow through the gardens, thus reducing the possibility to disease. Dividing perennials is also a great way to increase the number of plants in your garden. Follow these six steps when dividing your plants.
Pruning Climbing Roses: The Basics
On December - 15 - 2009
1. Climbing roses should be pruned early in autumn, when dormant, to reduce damage during winter winds. Prune again in spring to remove any deadwood or stems which have broken over the winter.
2. Prune flowering stems by cutting on an angle approximately ¼ inch above a healthy bud. Prune the stems to about 2/3 their length.
Pruning Hybrid Tea and Grandiflora Roses: The Basics
On December - 10 - 2009
Roses are often the centerpiece of the garden. Keeping them flush with blooms every season require a bit of maintenance, particularly pruning. Here are the basics.
1. Hybrid Teas and Grandifloras bloom most profusely on new growth so yearly pruning is beneficial. Prune in late fall or spring (spring is better in colder climates)
Pruning Roses For Winter Protection
On December - 9 - 2009
Roses which are exposed to windy conditions during the winter months are especially susceptible to damage. Longer stems can sway in the wind can cause the rose to rock back forth, thus loosening the soil and the plant’s root system. Gaps can then form in the soil around the base of the rose. If water collects in the gap and freezes it can cause harm to the graft union of the rose. Pruning the longer stems by a third to a half, in fall, can prevent this common problem.
Not Ready For The Snow
On December - 8 - 2009
I’m hoping this snow starts to melt soon so I can finish up this gardening season. All I left to do is to put salt marsh hay down on the perennial beds and if we do get a warm spell, I’ll finish cleaning out the shrub beds.
Perennial Gardens
On November - 30 - 2009
Perennials, plants which live for more than two seasons and produce flowers which die back to the ground each fall, are treasured for their ability to bloom and grow larger year after year. They’re are also prized for vibrant colors and their ability to attract birds and other wildlife to the garden. While perennials are easy to grow, there are a few basic maintenance guidelines to follow which will help your garden flourish. The following lists seasonal perennial garden maintenance tasks.
Gardening In Winter
On November - 30 - 2009
By December, most gardeners have raked all their leaves, finished planting their spring bulbs and are patiently waiting until spring to visit the garden again. If, however, you don’t mind the snow or freezing temperatures you don’t need to put all those tools away just yet. Winter can be a busy time for gardeners. Planning next season’s projects is important, of course, but there are a few other things which can be done as well which require
